Survey shows support for extension of Boulder's carbon tax

Majority of respondents support Climate Action Plan tax but know little about it

What: Boulder City Council study session on energy future and climate action

When: 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Boulder Municipal Building, 1777 Broadway

More info: To read the complete memo, go to bouldercolorado.gov and look for "Study Sessions" under "City Council."

A majority of Boulder voters support extending the Climate Action Plan tax, though they're not entirely sure what it has done to advance the city's goals, a survey found.

The level of support found in the survey -- 58 percent of respondents either strongly supported or somewhat supported extending the tax -- is less than campaign organizers like to see far from an election, but Boulder leaders say they have a "great story" to tell about the tax and bolster support.

"A lot of people want to know, 'Well, we've been paying this money and what have we gotten for it?'" said former Mayor Susan Osborne, who is part of a citizen committee working to pass the tax extension. "We have a great story to tell, and our job is to make the case to people that this is valid and worthwhile."

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Boulder's Climate Action Plan tax, or carbon tax, on energy use was passed by voters in 2006 and expires in March 2013. It has raised roughly $1.8 million a year for renewable energy and energy-efficiency programs. In recent years, much of the money has gone toward leveraging rebate and incentive programs paid for by federal grants or through Xcel Energy.

A recent study by Boulder consultants at Rocky Mountain Institute found that the programs paid for through the tax had produced significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and was cost-effective compared to similar programs in other cities. However, the city has not reached its Kyoto goal of reducing emissions to 7 percent below 1990 levels, in part because the city still gets most of its electricity from a coal-fired power plant.

Boulder officials have said renewing the CAP tax is essential to continuing to reduce emissions. The city hired Boulder-based National Research Center to poll registered voters and gauge their support for extending the tax.

The Boulder City Council will discuss the results of that survey, along with a study of how to most effectively spend carbon tax dollars, at a study session Tuesday night.

A large minority -- 43 percent -- of respondents said they were not familiar with the CAP tax and another 48 percent said they were "somewhat familiar" with the tax.

Support for the tax was higher among relative newcomers to Boulder, and lower among those who had lived here more than 10 years, according to a report on the survey results.

The most common reasons given for not wanting the tax to be extended were general opposition to taxes, lack of trust in local government and low support for the programs funded by the tax. Supporters of the CAP tax most frequently cited a belief that the funded programs were effective and general support for environmental programs.

Support for the tax slipped when respondents were asked about extending the tax for more than five years past its current expiration date. Just 23 percent of respondents supported extending the tax for 10 years. More than 50 percent said they would oppose extending the tax indefinitely.

Councilwoman Suzy Ageton said the survey results gave her pause. The rule of thumb in political campaigns is that you want to see 60 percent support or higher for the general idea behind a ballot measure.

"We're not quite there," she said. "That's usually what you like to see because there usually is some erosion as you have a campaign. I'm a little cautious. I think we have some work ahead of us."

Ken Regelson, a longtime Boulder environmental activist who worked on the municipalization campaign last year, said the city needs to communicate the successes in the CAP program to voters.

"These are not easy issues," he said.

That said, he thinks the standard rule doesn't apply as much to Boulder voters, who tend to be more informed.

The carbon tax programs haven't been perfect, but they've been effective, Regelson said. He believes the money will go even further in the future as the city puts more resources into programs that have been proven to be effective.

Boulder Mayor Matt Appelbaum said it's understandable that voters want to know how effective the tax has been so far, whether a third party has looked at the tax and how it will be spent in the future.

"I think we have an extraordinarily good story to tell about how well it has worked," he said. "For those people who would like to see more information or who might be on the fence, we have very good answers."

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